The Words That Should Have Been Said
by tortured-words
Summary: What if Katniss realized her feelings for Peeta after the first Hunger Games? Will Gale come and ruin everything, or will love prevail?
1. Chapter 1

Katniss and I finally arrive. I missed District 12 so much! I look over to see Katniss with her family. She's smiling a mile wide and hugging everyone. I've never seen her so happy. I look over to see my smiling family staring at me. I hug my parents and each of my brothers. "I missed you all so much," I say. This was really only half true. I did miss them in the arena, but I didn't notice because I was with Katniss.

I was still mad at Katniss. To be honest, I can't really stay mad at Katniss for a long time. I'll get over it. I doubt anything she did in the arena was real, though. She just did all that stuff to keep us alive. I don't blame her for anything. I'm just mad she didn't tell me. Well, I waited ten years for her, and I can wait ten more.

My family and I made small talk as we walked home. I wasn't really paying attention. All I could think about was Katniss. We were meant to be together. Why couldn't she see that? I mean in the cave, I meant what I said, but did she? Sometimes she did look like she meant it, but how could anyone be sure? Ugh! All of this gives me a headache.

We arrive at home in no time. I sit down on the small couch near the window. Honestly, I expected things to be different when I got home. Nothing has changed. My family acted as if nothing had happened. Everything returned back to normal. I was kind of glad. I wanted everything to return back to normal. Except for Katniss. Meeting Katniss was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wonder what she is doing right now. She's probably in the woods with Gale.

Ugh. Gale. She probably loves him. He's the reason Katniss is not mine. I mean Gale is older, stronger, and he's a hunter. He's a total package. The only reason I made it out of the arena was because of Katniss.

"Would you like dinner, Peeta," asks my mother. I jump a little bit. I was daydreaming and she kind of startled me. "No thanks," I reply. Really I am hungry, but I kind of just want to go to my room and be alone. "I think I'm just going to go to my room," I say. "Okay," says my mother. Wow. She's gotten a lot nicer since I got home. I guess this could just be temporary, but I decide to enjoy it while I can.

I saunter up the stairs to my room. Everything in my room is exactly how I left it. It's kind of creepy. I sit on the edge of my bed and hold my head in my hands. What am I going to do? I can't live without Katniss. Maybe I should go to her house. Should I? I don't know.

As I am thinking, my older brother comes in. "Hi Peeta," he says casually. "Hi," I say rather flatly. Doesn't he see I want to be alone. Idiot. "I just wanted to say I really missed you when you went to the Hunger Games. I am really glad you're back," he says. I'm touched. I think this might be the nicest thing he has ever said to me. "Thanks," I say. He gives a faint smile and leaves.

That was nice. I really underestimated my family. They actually really care about me. I smile at the thought. My brain jumps right back to Katniss. I remember how beautiful her smile was. I haven't seen it in a while. I wish I could see it again.

The sun is going down, and I decide to go to bed. Tomorrow I will move to Victor's Village. My new neighbors will be Katniss and Haymitch. "Great," I say sarcastically. Today just keeps getting better and better.

I lay down and close my eyes. I don't bother to change. Who cares? About five minutes I wake up from a nightmare. I dreamt Katniss and I were back in the arena. We were running as fast as we could away from the mutts that were chasing us. I climb up the cornucopia before Katniss does. She is halfway up when she falls. She falls flat on her back. The mutts swarm her, and start to chew away at her flesh. I hear her scream just before I wake up. I am breathing heavily, and it is pretty obvious I can't sleep any longer.

I can't take it anymore. I desperately need to see Katniss. I need to make sure she's okay. I climb out of bed praying my family doesn't wake up. I saunter towards my closet and put on my shoes. As I am putting on my shoe, I catch a glimpse of my fake leg. Honestly, it kind of creeps me out. I quickly put on my other shoe, and walk out my bedroom door.

I try to be quiet as I head downstairs, but as Katniss said before, I am not quiet. I don't think I really ever was quiet. I move one step at a time trying not to wake up the whole household. I finally reach the bottom after what seemed like an eternity. I slowly saunter to the front door. I open the door and walk out.

I start my journey to Katniss's house. What am I going to do? What am I going to say? I guess I'll just wing it. I hope she's not mad at me. I know I'm definetly not mad at her anymore. I can see Katniss's house in the distance. I stop. It's now or never. I begin to saunter towards her house again.

I can see Katniss's bedroom light is on as I get closer to her house. I decide to check it out. Then, I hear something. Shoot! I run and hide in some bushes. I must have woken somebody up! Well, I was never quiet, so this doesn't surprise me.

Katniss comes out of her house with a concerned look on her face. She looks so beautiful in the moonlight. "Is anyone there," she calls out. Well, it's now or never. "You caught me," I reply. I step out into the moonlight. She looks startled.

"What are you doing here," she asks in a curious voice. I stare at my shoes. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened on the train. I mean you only pretended be in love with me to keep us safe, and I shouldn't blame you for it. I'm really sorry." "Oh," she replies.

I wait for an her to say something else. I wait. I wait some more. Finally she says, "Sometimes I wasn't pretending. Were you?" I say, "Everything I said was true." "You love me," she says. "Yes," I say in a whisper. I take a small step closer to her, and she takes one step back.

"Why do you love me? I'm never going to get married. I'm never going to have children. Might as well leave me now before we do something stupid," she says. "There is a problem with what you just said. I already did something stupid. I said I loved a girl on live television." We both laugh. I am so glad to see her smile. "I never got an answer," I say. "What," she asks. "Do you love me," I ask. Please say yes. Please say yes. "I don't know," she replies.

No! Really! She can see the disappointment in my eyes. "I could change," she says quickly. "I have to go," I say. I start to saunter back to my house. "Wait," calls Katniss. She jogs up to me. "Wait," she says again. "How can you be so sure you love me," she asks.

Huh. I never really questioned it. I always just knew. "Well...You just know." She looks disappointed. "Why, do you think you love me," I ask. "Yes," she says so fast and quiet that I can barely understand her. I take a larger step towards her, and this time she doesn't shy away.

I take one more step to break the distance between us. I lean in slowly to make sure she wants to kiss me, too. She doesn't move. I lean in more and more until our lips touch. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I put my hands on her hips. She puts her hands around my neck.

We break apart just to take a breath of fresh air. "Uh, Peeta," she says. "Yes," I reply. "I'm pretty sure I love you," she replies. I smile, and she smiles with me. This time, she leans in for the kiss. I don't object. This is the best day of my life! There's that warm and fuzzy feeling again. I move my hands to her face. I cup her head with my hands. We break apart for another breath.

"What time is it," I ask. "Probably midnight," she answers. "Our family won't get up for another couple of hours." "Yeah," she says, confused. "Let's do something crazy." "What? No," she says. "Don't you trust me?" She laughs. "What do you want to do?"

"Let's take a midnight stroll through the meadow," I say. She smiles. "You're nuts, but I'll do it anyway. Let's go." I take her hand and begin to walk with her to the meadow. We arrive at the meadow in no time. "You know what's crazy," I ask. "What," she says. "I know you would die for me, but I don't know what your favorite color is," I reply. "Mine is green. What's yours," she asks. "Mine is orange, like the sunset," I answer. "Pretty," she says.

We start to stroll through the meadow holding hands. This is so romantic! I never thought Katniss liked romantic stuff, but she did this anyway. I think she might have done this to make me happy. This makes me smile. "What," she says. "What," I reply. "Why are you smiling," she asks. "I'm happy I'm with you," I reply. This makes her smile, too. "Me too."

We are getting farther and farther from both of our houses. I look back to see we have walked pretty far. Should we go back? I don't know. "Do you want to head back," she asks. Wow. It's like she read my mind. "Do you want to just sit down for awhile," I ask, "I don't want this date to end." "Me neither."

Oh my goodness! Did she just say she didn't want this date to end? When did Katniss become romantic? I have no idea! We sit down in the grass. I reposition my fake leg. I see a dandelion right in front of me. I pick it up and observe it in my hand. I'm going to try to make my move, and hope Katniss doesn't beat me up.

I slowly push Katniss's hair behind her ear. She doesn't seem alarmed. She just smiles. I then put the dandelion in her hair. Her expression changes. She seems to remember something, but then she smiles again. Huh. I wonder what that was about.

"You look beautiful," I say. She blushes. "Thanks," she responds. I scoot a little closer to her. She sees this, and she scoots even closer. Our hips our touching now. I pretend I'm yawning, so I can put my arm around her. She laughs. "That's the oldest trick in th book," she says. "I know," I say, "but it works. She puts her arms around me.

I kind of tense up, but relax. "What's wrong," she asks. "Absolutely nothing," I reply. We sit in silence for awhile. "How was your day," I ask. "Lots of hugging and crying. How about you," she asks. "Unusual kindness from my family. Nothing much," I reply with a shrug.

"Peeta," says Katniss, "I need to tell you something." "What," I asked softly. "Do you want to know the reason I pulled out those berries in the arena," she asks. "I do," I reply. "I did that," she says, "because I couldn't stand the idea of losing you." "Really," I ask. "Really."

I smile the biggest smile I could manage. She smiles, too. I lean in for a kiss. She kisses me, softly. We break apart. "I definetly love you," she whispers. "You don't know how long I waited for you to say that." She giggles. "I know."

I could see the sun peeking over the horizon. "We should probably head back," I say. "Okay," she whispers. She stands up, and I try. My leg fell asleep, and I can't get up. She laughs. "You need some help?" "Kind of," I reply. She reaches out her hand. I grab it. I pull, but Katniss falls on top of me.

"Oops," she says, laughing. I laugh, too. I give her a gentle hug from behind. "Are you okay," I ask. "Yeah, I just tripped." I regained some feeling in my leg now, but I don't want to interrupt this perfect moment. "Let's go," she says. "Okay," I reply.

She gets up again, and I try again. I fall back. She giggles. She reaches out her hand, and I grab it. This time, I actually get up. "Thanks," I say. "No problem," she answers. This time, she is the one who reaches for my hand.

"Are you excited about moving to Victor's Village," I ask. "No," she replies, "I don't want to move." "I am just happy I am going to be closer to you," I say. "I guess that's going to be nice," she says, "We can do more midnight dates." I laugh. "Yeah."

I can see Katniss's house in the distance. I see her sigh. "What," I ask. "I am not going to be able to sleep tonight. I tried before, but I just wake up from nightmares every single time," she says. "Me too," I say, "You know if you ever need someone to comfort you, I'm always here for you." "Thanks," she says.

We reach her front door. "I hate to end this perfect date, but I should go before my family wakes up," she says. "I should get going, too," I say. We just stand there. I lean in for one long, lingering kiss. We break apart slowly. "I love you," I say. "I love you, too," she says. She walks inside her house without another word.

I begin to saunter back to my house. I'm so happy. That date was so perfect! I can't believe Katniss and I actually went on a date! That was more than I could ever ask for! I can't wait until tomorrow!

I can see my house in the distance. I should just head straight to my room. I look around. No one is up yet. What time it is? I should hurry. My family gets up early.

I rush through the front door when I remember I have to be quiet. I slowly walk up the stairs to my room. I enter my room, and am so glad I didn't wake anyone up. I slowly take my shoes off, and crawl into bed. I look at the clock in my room. It's 4 A.M. Wow. Katniss and I were gone for four hours! I wish we were gone longer. Well, I'll see her tomorrow, and I can't wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Today was the day. I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, but my adrenaline is still running. I'm ready to see Katniss again. I can hardly wait. Will she be excited to see me, too? I guess I'll find out.

I look over at my clock, and see it is 6 A.M. I decide to get ready for the day. I walk over to my closet and pick out a dark blue shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and pair them with a pair of black boots with black socks. I put my apparel on. I grab my hairbrush and begin to brush my hair. I need to look my best today.

I walk to the bathroom. I grab my toothbrush and begin to brush my teeth. What should I say to Katniss when I see her? Should I give her a cute nickname? I spit out the toothpaste, and I rinse my mouth out with water.

I begin to think of phrases I could say to her. "Hey, sugar," I say to the mirror. Really? Sugar? Is that the best I can do? That's pathetic. I think that's what my grandpa called my grandma.

Let's try that again. "Hey, babe," I say. That was better, but not by much. I mean that one is obvious. Ugh! Nicknames are hard.

Should I just call her Katniss? "Hey, Katniss," I say into the mirror. No. Too obvious. "Hey, Kitty Kat," I say with a laugh. I don't think Katniss will like that one very much.

"Hey, sweetie," I say. Hey, that doesn't sound that bad. I'll think of something better later. I really hope Katniss will like it. Katniss is a hard girl to predict. I haven't quite figured her out yet.

I look at the clock on my wall. It's 6:30 A.M. My family is probably up by now. I should go check, but I don't want to. I wonder if Katniss is up yet. Katniss. My girlfriend.

I wonder if I should take her out on another date today. Today is Saturday. I have a day off from the bakery today and tomorrow. I hope she doesn't have anything to do. I really want to go on another date with her.

"Peeta, time for breakfast," I hear my mother call in a sweet melodic voice. Yep. It's official. She's being unusually nice.

"I'll be right there," I yell back. I begin to walk down the stairs to the table. I see my mother, father, Daniel, and Riley already sitting at the table eating their food.

"Good morning, Peeta. Your breakfast is on the kitchen counter," says my mother. I look over to see what we are having for breakfat. There are eggs, bacon and toast on my plate. Wow. I'm used to smaller breakfasts. Well, I guess I have a lot more money now. I'm just not used to it yet.

"Thanks mom," I say. She nods. I pick up my plate and take a seat between Daniel and Riley. They shove their faces with as much food as they possibly can. I give a breathy laugh. I remember how important manners were to Effie. I wonder what she would do if she saw my brothers eating like this.

"Can you boys please eat with some manners? I didn't raise you in a barn," my mother says sternly to both of my brothers. I knew it. My mother can't be nice for long. It doesn't take long for her true colors to show.

"Sorry, mom," both of my brothers say in perfect unison. My mother then turns to me. Then, she looks at my plate. I only ate one egg and nibbled on some bacon. Her stare makes me cringe. I just noticed how much my mother scares me.

"Honey, why haven't touched your food," she says in that same melodic voice. Geez. I really hope this won't be a temporary thing. I kind of like my mother like this. It's better than her screaming her head off at me every five seconds.

"I'm not that hungry," I say. I look at my brothers' plates. They have already finished their food, and are looking for seconds. How can my brothers eat all of that food. I probably ate half, and I feel as if my belly is going to pop at any second.

"Can I have your bacon," asks Riley. I look down at my bacon, and back at him. Should I? Why not?

"Go nuts," I say with pretend enthusiasm. His eyes light up. Wow. Isn't it crazy bacon can make a kid this happy?

"Thanks, bro! You're the best," says Riley. Yeah right. He takes my bacon quickly like I would change my mind or take it back. Really? It's just bacon.

"If anyone wants my breakfast, feel free to take it," I say. I move my plate to the center of the table. I guess I could have just thrown my food away, but I hate to be wasteful.

"May I be excused," I ask my mother. She nods. I scoot my chair out and saunter to my room. I get an old leather suitcase and begin to pack my stuff. It feels weird to be the first one to move out. I guess I could have taken my family along, but they have been acting weird lately. I decided to just move out alone.

I close the suitcase filled with my clothes and my painting supplies and look around to make sure I didn't forget anything. All I see is my furniture. I can get my brothers to help me with that later. I look out the window. I am going to miss this place.

"Peeta, the hovercraft is here for your stuff," mom calls. Ugh. I don't want to go in a hovercraft. It brings back too many terrible memories.

"I'll be right there," I yell. I take my suitcase and walk down the stairs. Where are my brothers?

"Riley? Daniel? Where are you guys," I yell. I see Daniel at the top of the stairs. "Hey, Daniel. Have you seen Riley," I ask.

"Not since this morning. Is that all," he asks. Huh. Where is Riley? I guess Daniel and I could move the furniture.

"I just needed help moving the furniture. Could you help me," I ask. He nods. "Thanks I say.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with," he says. Yep. That's the Daniel I know. He begins to walk up to my room, and I follow him. "What do you want me to carry," he asks.

"Can you bring down the bed? I'll bring down the dresser. That would be great. Thanks," I say. He grunts, but obeys. He picks up the bed, and goes down the stairs. I pick up the dresser, and take it downstairs. When did this dresser get so heavy?

I finally make it outside to where the hovercraft is. I load it on. I look around. Is my family coming with me to see the new place? I don't think so. Maybe it's for the best. Did I forget anything? I don't think so. If I did, I could always come back.

"Bye," I yell to my house. I wave. I see Daniel and my mother waving back. I get in the hovercraft and begin my flight to Victor's Village.

I look out the window to see the beautiful sky. I wonder if Katniss is there yet. What will my new house look like? Will I miss my family? All of these questions boggle around in my head. I can't wait another moment longer.

I start to see Victor's Village. The hovercraft lands right in front of my new house. I stand up and get out of the hovercraft. I saunter to the back and begin to unload my furniture. I want to be able to help Katniss unload her stuff when she arrives.

I lug my bed to one of the bedrooms on the second floor. I come back to the hovercraft and carry my dresser to the same room. The house already has a couch and a television in the family room. The kitchen has a small round table with four chairs around it. I saunter throughout the house to see the other pieces of furniture. I almost forgot! I need to get my suitcase.

I go back to the hovercraft to and retrieve the leather suitcase. "Thanks for the ride," I say to the man operating the hovercraft. He nods and flies off. I take my suitcase and wait for Katniss to arrive.

I see another hovercraft going to the house next to mine. I begin to saunter out the front door to greet Katniss and her family. I see Katniss and her family walk out of the hovercraft. Wow. She looks so beautiful. She takes my breath away.

Katniss's hair is in a perfect braid that comes around her head to her shoulder. Her grey eyes glimmer in the sunlight. She is wearing a baggy green shirt with tight black pants. Prim has her hair in two braids that come to her shoulders. She is wearing a light blue skirt with a white blouse. Mrs. Everdeen is wearing a simple black shirt paired with baggy black pants. I should say something before Katniss thinks I'm just staring randomly at her and her family. "Hi," I say.

"Hi, Peeta," Katniss calls back. I saunter over to where she is standing. I outstretch my arms and Katniss goes into them. We hug for a moment and break apart. "I missed you," she says. I smile.

"I missed you, too," I say. "Do you need some help unpacking?" I look over to see Prim and her mother staring at us. Oops. I forgot. They probably still thought we were mad at eachother.

"Yeah. Sure. That would be great. Thanks," she says. "Can you help me take up the beds?"

"Sure," I say, "Anything for you." She smiles and giggles.

"Oh, Peeta," she says rolling her eyes.

"Oh, Katniss," I say copying her tone and roll my eyes as well. She giggles again. I take one of the two beds and carry it inside. "Where do you want the bed," I say.

"You can put it in that bedroom," she says, pointing.

"Okay, sweetie," I say. She gives me another giggle. Geez. I've never seen her like this before. I put the bed down gently in the bedroom. Her house is almost an exact replica of my house.

"Do you want to do something today," I ask. Maybe we could go to my house.

"I guess," she says. "What would you like to do?"

"You could come to my house," I say. "No one is there." Why did I say that last part. It just sounds awkward.

"Okay, sweetie," she says. We both laugh. "Let's go." She places her bed next to the bed I put down. We both saunter out the front door into the sunlight. "Mom! I'll be back soon," she calls. We reach my front door and I open it for her. "What did you want to do at your house," she asks. What do I say? What do I say?

"You look so beautiful today. I was wondering if you would let me paint you," I say. She blushes. I lean in for a kiss but she stops me.

"Paint me first," she says. I laugh. "Where should I sit?"

"You can sit on the couch and do whatever kind of pose you want to do," I say.

"Okay," she whispers. She lays on the couch and bends her knee slightly. She puts her hands on her stomach. "How's this," she asks.

"Perfect," I say. I reach into the suitcase for my painting supplies. I begin to paint her. "How was your day," I ask.

"It's going great so far. How was your day," she asks.

"Mine is going great," I reply. "Can you give me a smile?" She smiles that same smile that makes my knees wobbly. "Great."

I just finished painting her face and her hair. She looks perfect so far. "You can stop smiling if you want," I say.

"Thanks," she replies. "Can I see it?"

"Not yet. You have to be patient," I say. I paint in silence. It's so silent I think she fell asleep.

"Are you scared," she says. She startles me. I almost gave her a green highlight. What the heck is she talking about?

"Scared about what," I ask.

"We are going to have to mentor two children next year. One will definitely die. I doubt we could get one out alive," she says. I never even thought about that.

"We will get through it together," I say. At least I'll have her. She gives me a shaky smile.

Probably an hour passes, and I'm finally done. "I'm done," I say. "Do you want to see it?"

"Sure," she says. She gets up from the couch. She walks over to me and looks at my painting. "Wow. You're really good," she says.

"Thanks," I say. I look at the painting myself. It is actually really good. I love painting Katniss. "Here. Keep it," I say. I pick up the painting and give it to her.

"Thanks! I love it," she says. Her eyes light up. I lean in for a kiss, and this time she doesn't shy away. We break away after a long time. I don't want this to end. "What time is it," she asks.

"I think it's one. I'm not sure," I say. "One second." I jog up the stairs to my room. I look at the clock and see it's 1:30 P.M. I jog back to Katniss. "It's 1:30," I say.

"Thanks. I'm sorry. I have to go. I promised Prim I would play with her today. I'll call you later. I promise," she says. She gives me a light kiss.

"Okay," I say. She takes the painting and walks out the front door. "Bye," I say. She waves and heads back to her house. I love her so much. "I love you," I say to the spot where she was standing. I can't wait for that phone call.


	3. Chapter 3

I wait and wait. When was she planning to call me? Really? I'm about to give up and go to bed when I hear it. I hear my phone ringing.

I wait a couple of rings before I pick up. "Hello, Katniss," I say.

"Hi, Peeta. How's the new house working out for you," she asks.

"Good. How about you," I ask.

"Terrible," she says. We wait and wait. There's a long silence. Was I supposed to say something? I don't know. "Well, I have to get going. I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Goodnight," I say. Then, I hang up.

What did I excpect from her? For her to pour her feelings out to me? That only happened once, and I doubt it will happen again. This is Katniss. Katniss does not do that sort of stuff.

I go into my bed and fall into a deep sleep. I dream of happy things. It's great for once. I don't even have a nightmare. It's wonderful.

I wake up late. I'm at a loss. Usually my mom wakes me up and feeds me breakfast. What will I eat? Maybe I have some food in my pocket! I jump out of bed and search all of my pockets for food. I find some crackers and gum. It will have to do for now.

Katniss is probably in the woods with Gale. Gale doesn't intimidate me anymore. Katniss chose me. She loves me. I love her. Gale is just her friend.

I get dressed, brush my teeth, and brush my hair. I am wearing a dark green shirt, black pants, and black boots paired with black socks. I sit down on the edge of my bed trying to decide what to do. I decide to paint.

I saunter into the room where I keep all of my art supplies. I set up my easel and my paints. I fill a cup with cool water and place it by the paints. I dip my paintbrush in the green paint. My paintbrush almost makes contact with the canvas when the doorbell rings.

I set my paintbrush down and jog down the stairs. I quickly open the door and see Katniss staring at her shoes. "Hi, Peeta," she says.

"Hi, Katniss. Is everything okay," I ask.

"We need to talk," she says.

"What about," I ask.

"We're over," she says.

"What! Why," I ask.

"What did you expect, Peeta! That we would grow up and live happily ever after? No! It never works out like that," she yells.

"Tell me the real reason," I say. I stare right into those gray eyes. She stumbles.

"Because...Because...I'm in love with Gale," she says. I stand there with my mouth gaping open. Only moments ago I was in a perfect paradise. I feel as if a tornado has hit.

"Bye, Katniss," I say. I shut the door gently. I don't know what to do. Without Katniss I am nothing. I decide what to do. I should just end my life before it gets worse.

I look around for anything I could use. I don't have any knives, forks, or even a spoon. Maybe I could borrow some silverware from Haymitch. He's rarely awake anyway. That's what I'll do.

I saunter next door to Haymitch's house. I quietly open the front door. I walk across the junk on the floor to the kitchen. I see Haymitch passed out drunk on the table. I open his drawer and find a sharp knife. I pick it up, and hide it in my pocket.

"What the heck are you doing," asks a voice. I turn around to see Katniss. It's amazing how silently she can appear.

"Why do you care," I say rather flatly. I turn around to see those wonderful gray eyes I love so much. Her eyes suddenly show alarm.

"Oh my god, were you about to kill yourself," she practically screams.

"Why would you care. Can you please just leave me alone," I say.

"Peeta, I love you," she says very quietly.

"Yeah right. Just like you said you loved me yesterday, and today you're in love with Gale," I say flatly.

"I'm not in love with Gale! I just said that so you would give up on me. I didn't think you would do something like this," she says quietly.

"Why don't I believe you," I say coldly. I take the knife out of my pocket and prepare to kill myself. "Don't worry. When I die, you can have Gale. You won't be forced to be my girlfriend or anything. You should be happy," I say flatly.

"I won't. Give me that knife," she screams. I grasp the knife with both hands. Any second now. All that changes when Katniss lunges at me. She knocks me over and I fall with a thud. I lie on my back as Katniss sits on top of me, preventing me from killing myelf.

"Get off of me," I hiss. Am I seeing things, or do I see tears at the corners of her eyes.

"No, never. Give my that stupid knife," she screams. "I love you, not Gale,"

"Yeah right," I say sadly. I know she's just saying this. It can't be true. Can it?

"Peeta, Gale kissed me yesterday," she begins.

"What," I say. I am so mad at Katniss and Gale. I gather all of my anger up and am able to flip Katniss on her back. I pin her to the ground.

"Peeta, stop! You didn't let me finish. Right after he kissed me, I went home. I was going to your house, when I saw Gale kissing Madge! He kissed her after he kissed me! I was so sad and scared someone would hurt me like that again! Peeta, that's why I broke up with you! I knew you wouldn't give up unless I said I was in love with Gale. I never thought you would do something stupid like this," says Katniss. I slowly get off of her and she sprints out the door.

"Katniss! Wait," I scream. I run as fast as I can, but my leg makes me slow. Really, I am just power walking. I know where she is going. She is either in the woods or in the meadow. I should check the meadow. If she's not there, I'll check the woods.

I see Katniss in the meadow. She's lying on her back facing the bright sun. Her eyes are closed. I slowly walk towards her. "What do you want," she says scowling. Wow. She's so different from the girl I saw yesterday.

"You know I would never hurt you," I say. I sit down next to her. I reach for her hand, but she pulls away.

"How can you be so sure of everything," she asks.

"You can't," I reply. "It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."

"My mother used to say that," she says quietly.

"You should listen to her," I say. She stares at her hands.

"Listen, Katniss. I can get up and leave right now and leave you alone for good, or I can stay. Which one will it be," I say in a patient voice.

"Don't ever leave me," she says.

We look into eachother's eyes and just know. We were meant to be together. She is my missing puzzle piece. No matter what happens we will have eachother, and nothing, not even the Capitol, can change that.


End file.
